Public Hero Number 1

"Public Hero #1" is a relatively little known, continually entertaining gangster thriller that veers from prison mellerdrama to quirky romance to bullet-riddled shoot-out. Okay, so the plot has enough holes to drive a getaway car through -- like the unexpected "meet cute' encounter, during a flash flood, of a government agent disguised as a hold-up man with the sister of the crime czar he's tracking. But Chester Morris as the plucky, love-stricken fed, Jean Arthur who still loves her brother despite his homicidal tendencies, Lionel Barrymore as a boozy doctor and Joseph Calleia as the underworld kingpin who doesn't seem bright enough to rob a candy store are all fun to watch. And darn near believable. At no point, as the tale gallops through various genres, does it bog down. Wish the same could be said of quite a few more modern movies. Credit director J. Walter Ruben with doing a first-rate job on one of the final films he would helm prior to his premature death at the age of 43.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Public Hero Number 1, since the plot synopsis I'd read online wasn't very clear. Turns out, I was really glad I didn't learn too much, since the plot was so intriguing and fast-moving.

Chester Morris stars as a prisoner who doesn't like to be contained. He starts a riot, loses his temper, and tries to cozy up to a notorious gangster Joseph Calleia. How is prison warden Lewis Stone going to handle him? Believe it or not, Chester's big secret gets revealed pretty early on, but since it's so much fun to see it as it plays out, I won't even tell you that much of the plot. All you need to know is that he's hiding something, and this part is a pretty big tour-de-force for the 1930s actor. He only had about ten years in the spotlight, so if you like him, be sure and check this movie out.

Along the way, Chester and Joseph escape from prison and try to escape the cops. Jean Arthur, who's hiding a secret of her own, feels an instant connection to Chester, but with all the deception, will they find a happy ending? Or is this drama, with Lionel Barrymore as a drunken, disreputable doctor in the supporting cast, too much of a drama for a normal romance? You'll have to rent it, which I suggest you do during the next rainy afternoon, to find out.

"Public Hero Number 1" is a good film with an original plot and interesting twists. This is in the vein of the type of hard-hitting crime movies that Hollywood was cranking out during and shortly after prohibition. Only this one has some nice twists to it, along with a top cast of prominent actors of the day.

All of the cast give good performances, with Lionel Barrymore and Jean Arthur in superb roles. This is a more dramatic role for Arthur, but she gets to use some of her comedic charm as well -- that she shows in her later comedies. And, she plays the serious part very well. Chester Morris is very good as Jeff Crane, the fed who was willing to go to prison and sit three weeks in solitary confinement. All to bring down the Purple Gang that had been pulling big time robberies around the Middle West of the day, and often killing innocent people.

This film has some very good scenes and all around good production for its day. Here are some favorite lines.

Maria Theresa O'Reilly, "I thought you had a grin in your system somewhere."

Theresa, "You grabbed me like a seal grabs fish."

Jeff Crane, "What's your name?" Theresa, "Maria Theresa O'Reilly." Jeff, nodding, "Cook me some, too." Theresa, "That's my name and I've had enough trouble with it from wise guys. My father was Irish and my mother was Italian and it's not my fault."

Jeff, "Because, when I get around to it, I'm gonna see a lot of you. And if I started in now, you might get tired of me by that time." Theresa, "Well, that doesn't make sense. Besides, the demand's awfully big for me. I might get tied up."

Public Hero #1 (1935)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely strange film from MGM starts off as a prison drama then moves to a screwball comedy and then goes back to gangster action. An undercover cop (Chester Morris) gets inside of a prison where he befriends a gangster (Joseph Calleia) and soon the two bust out but the gangster gets shot. Near death, the undercover cops goes out to find the gangster's drunken doctor (Lionel Barrymore) but due to a storm they are forced to stay at a hotel where the cop falls for a young woman (Jean Arthur) who turns out to be the gangster's sister. After hearing the news, the cop must try to find a way to bring the gangster down without hurting the sister. This film is pretty much all over the map but it's still a greatly entertaining film that works on ever level that it tries. The prison stuff early on is very entertaining as is the gangster stuff at the end. There's a big shootout at the end, which ranks among the best I've seen from any of these early gangster films. Normally screwball laughs wouldn't fit into a film like this but Barrymore does a terrific job in the comedy department as the drunken doctor. The highlight has to be the scene where he accidentally gets dressed in Arthur's robe due to how drunk he is. Barrymore's comic timing is terrific throughout the film. Arthur is also very strong in her role and delivers a very memorable character and performance. The real star is Morris who is simply wonderful all the way through. He has a lot of roles to play here from the tough guy trying to enter the gang to the cop trying to bring down the bad guy but he also does a great job in the romantic department with Arthur. Calleia, Paul Kelly, Lewis Stone and George E. Stone add nice support as well. It's also worth noting that the film seems partially influenced by the John Dillinger case who of course was murdered after watching MGM's Manhattan Melodrama the previous year and that includes the ending here, which has been slightly changed but still takes place outside a theater.

As in White Heat a G-Man is planted in a cell with known criminal Joseph Calleia who is part of the infamous Purple Gang with the intention of letting him escape and leading him to the rest of the gang.

In Public Hero Number 1 it's just the name of the Purple Gang is used. In real life that group's main concern was in Prohibition they were the main suppliers in the Detroit area of bootleg hooch. They did diversify in their hoodlum careers, but this story takes the name of the Purples and uses John Dillinger's exploits as a basis for the story with Calleia as the Dillinger type character.

Chester Morris is the undercover Fed and he really lays it on thick as this punk with an attitude and a temper. But the problem is that he meets Calleia's sister Jean Arthur and that kind of leads him astray in his mission for a bit.

Stealing the film in every scene he's in is defrocked doctor Lionel Barrymore like I haven't seen him in any other film. He's now a medic to the crime community when he draws a sober breath or three. Also note Paul Kelly in a strong performance as Morris's FBI handler.

I did have a problem believing Joe Calleia and Jean Arthur as brother and sister. They really don't bear the slightest resemblance to each other.

Outside of that a nice action though not in the class of White Heat.